Rory Leonard on breaking the British 10km report

The European under-23 10,000m champion displays on his Valencia race and the journey that has led him to turn into a British record-holder

Rory Leonard made historical past final weekend (January 12) in Valencia as he broke the British 10km report with a exceptional time of 27:38. The 23-year-old slashed six seconds off the earlier mark, which was held by each Mo Farah and Emile Cairess.

Farah’s time got here within the 2010 Vitality 10,000, whereas Cairess matched it in Valencia three years in the past.

Whereas Leonard’s victory was spectacular, operating by means of 5km in 13:45, he admits it wasn’t fully sudden, explaining that breaking the report had been his purpose all alongside – regardless of feeling some struggles across the 3km mark.

Leonard wasn’t the one Brit with a standout run in Valencia. Charlie Wheeler completed because the second-fastest Brit and likewise ran faster than the earlier nationwide report and Leonard’s coaching companion, Efrem Gidey, broke John Treacy’s 40-year-old Irish report by three seconds with 27:43.

Although Leonard hadn’t raced a 10km on the highway since 2022, his latest performances confirmed him he was heading in the right direction.

On the European Cross Nation Championships in Antalya, Leonard positioned ninth general, ending as the highest Brit and profitable crew bronze. He additionally earned a spot on the British crew for the European Championships in Rome final summer time, operating the ten,000m. His final 10km was ran in 2023 in Bordeaux, clocking a time of 29:03.

The Hoka athlete has additionally spent a while coaching and finding out over in Oklahoma, however he displays on the abroad choice as one which wasn’t the best match for him.

His dad Tony was a former British worldwide while he additionally advantages from the help and recommendation of his mum Sharon, who gained English Faculties and Nationwide cross-country medals as an under-20.

Now, Leonard trains with Crew Makou, knowledgeable group supported by Hoka and coached by Andy Hobdell. The crew, which incorporates athletes comparable to Callum Elson, Scott Beattie, Ellis Cross, Efrem Gidey and Sarah Astin, has been making waves with stellar outcomes.

How did it really feel to run the British 10km report?

Coming throughout the end line, figuring out that I’d really achieved it was fairly cool as a result of from 5km, you’re in just a little little bit of panic mode as a result of you’ve by no means run that quick earlier than on the highway.

I felt horrible at 3km. I used to be feeling fairly dangerous and was considering I’ve nonetheless bought 7km of this to go. I noticed my 3km break up and knew I needed to choose it up just a little bit as a result of I wasn’t bang on tempo by that time. I informed myself that every thing would determine itself out in a number of kilometres, simply sit in, keep out of the wind and to tuck in, overlook about every thing, get to 5km and then you definately’re on the best way residence.

I used to be operating with [Narve Gilje] Nordas for 99% of the race – he additionally runs for Hoka – and I tucked in behind him and he put me away within the final 200m massively. I used to be fairly fortunate with the group that I discovered myself in as a result of Nordas was attempting to interrupt the Norwegian report, so he couldn’t let the tempo drop. I used to be attempting to interrupt the British report, so I couldn’t let the tempo drop, and so it led to fairly a pleasant  buying and selling off impact.

Within the final 50 metres the place I might see the time correctly, I knew that I used to be going to get it, offered no Brit got here round my shoulder and beat me.

Do you know you have been able to breaking it?

That was the rationale why I went, I didn’t go for some other cause, actually. However I additionally suppose that there have been three or 4 guys who on their greatest day, might have achieved it. Tright here’s lots of people who can do it, but it surely’s nearly really getting it achieved.

There’s so many components of whether or not you do it otherwise you don’t do it and and it’s getting it proper on the day. I informed individuals beforehand, you possibly can be somebody who breaks the British report on this race and be the third Brit throughout the road if everybody has a great day.

For me, it was if you exit quick sufficient, go laborious sufficient, then the time will likely be there on the finish.

What did you make of the sturdy efficiency from the opposite Brits?

It says a lot in regards to the depth that we’ve bought within the UK in the meanwhile within the distance scene, which is nice information. I imply, I’m very completely happy that Charlie [Wheeler] was 4 seconds behind, I didn’t know he was coming, however he was. 

Charlie and I have been at Loughborough collectively in 2020 and on the time we have been like 14-minute 5km guys. We weren’t actually anyplace close to the highest at that time, we have been kind of plugging the miles away collectively. So, it was fairly cool that we got here throughout the road shut collectively. Clearly he broke that earlier report too so it was fairly good to try this with Charlie.

What does it imply to take the British report from athletes like Mo Farah and Emile Cairess?

It’s a difficult one with Mo as a result of I’m certain that if he had actually given a 10km highway race a go, when he was in his prime, he would have run loads faster than 27.44. It’s cool that he didn’t as a result of I get to say that I’ve damaged his report. However I additionally acknowledge that he’s a special beast and double, double Olympic champion.

On the Emile entrance, I take a look at him now and the best way that he’s achieved issues. I do look as much as him and I believe finally I’d wish to be as profitable as he’s. I believe that’s all the way down to his laborious work too. So I’d wish to suppose that I’m on that trajectory for these future championships and stuff.

What does coaching appear like within the construct as much as this?

I haven’t achieved a 10km on highway for fairly a very long time. We did the San Silvestre in Madrid final 12 months, properly in 2023 on New 12 months’s Eve, which is 8km straight downhill after which a 2km soar, which is basically, actually laborious. It’s simply chaos.

Coaching clever, I got here ninth at European Cross in mid-December and knew that I used to be in a fairly great place. We didn’t change a lot within the construct as much as this, it was very regular, the same old weekly schedule that we might just do with just a little little bit of tune up work. However nothing loopy. It was simply sufficient that I might use the health that I had and tune up just a little bit for going by means of 5km comfortably.

How did your coach and crew react to the report?

Andy was buzzing and naturally, Efrem bought his Irish nationwide report, too so we got here throughout the road on the similar time, discovered Andy and it was nuts. We couldn’t have achieved higher on the day for the group, particularly for me and Efrem.

All of us knew it was going to occur so greater than something, it was validating that that’s the place we’re at. It was such a good feeling that what we’re doing is working and we’ve bought an ideal ambiance across the crew.

We’ve bought an ideal group. Everybody’s keen one another on after which once you get performances like that, it simply reveals everybody that everybody else within the group goes to have these breakthrough performances as properly.

Why does your coaching group work so properly collectively?

I think about with different teams, the model pulls individuals in who probably don’t know one another. Truly, what we had was a bunch of 5 mates who conveniently have been attempting to show professional at an analogous time. We additionally had a really like-minded individual in Chris Rainsford at Hoka who needed to tug this crew collectively and with out Chris it doesn’t occur. It got here collectively so naturally that we didn’t rush it.

We didn’t announce the crew till July of this 12 months and we’d been going about six or seven months earlier than that. What now we have is a real friendship, it’s a friendship group and I believe that it’s completely different to different groups the place they’re signing athletes.

They need the teams to work collectively and there’s no assure of chemistry. However what we had was chemistry earlier than it was a professional group and I believe that’s what’s particular about our group.

What has your transitional journey been like from a teen to now?

It’s unusual as a result of I haven’t missed a GB vest for yearly since I used to be 17 and I’m 23 now. However each single one among these years has seemed so completely different. It seems to be nice making GB vests, however I’ve had years the place issues have been going nice and issues have been going terribly.

I’ve managed to get right here by studying from large errors within the build-up and a kind of was going to America and determining that it’s not the best match for me. However fortunately I had the health to come back again to Liverpool and make a crew.

When it comes to like transitioning to the seniors, I believe I’ve at all times been informed by my dad, who was an ideal runner as properly that the beneath 23 age group exists and it’s good and useful to transition by means of. If you happen to come out of that age group proper, then you definately’ll be one of many seniors on the entrance and also you’ll be doing what you’re doing.

I believe I’ve bumped up properly yearly, coaching clever, high quality clever, quantity clever and it takes that as properly to not get injured. I do know some individuals get actually unfortunate with accidents.

How does your dad’s success in operating enable you to together with your profession? 

He went by means of the highs and lows of his profession additionally. He understands what it means to interrupt a British report or to get anyplace close to that, and to attain one thing like that. So for him, I believe it’s additionally fairly surreal.

I believe in his thoughts, I’m his son, proper? He at all times thought I’d do one thing like this. In order that’s pretty  however I believe really doing it’s fairly particular. To have a household who fully perceive it and the work that’s gone into it, it’s nice.

What’s are your objectives for 2025?

I’m not fully certain, as a result of I’d like to make the world champs, proper? However the time is 27 flat to get into that championships. The rating factors are going to be laborious to come back by so my absolute, virtually unrealistic, purpose can be to make that world championships.

I’m going to go to Sound 10km [The Ten] on March 29 and that’s once I’ll take an enormous swing at getting the potential UKA normal and seeing if that’ll bump me into the rankings. However other than that, I believe it’s a little bit of a free hit of the 12 months.

I’m going to go to Boston subsequent month, try to run a quick 5000m. My PB in the meanwhile is 13:29 and I can run loads quicker than that and ideally I’ll try this subsequent month.

I believe with these occasions being set at one thing like 27 flat, you’re not going to do it in a 12 months. I’m fairly fortunate within the place that I’m at with the funding, having the ability to be full time with Hoka, that I can see myself getting there, but it surely may take a few years. It’d take a number of years to run 27 flat. You’ve bought to do an terrible lot of coaching and you may’t cram all that into one coaching block.

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